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It has been suggested that NSC nuclear czar Gary Samore and his shop and the U.S. mission to the IAEA in Vienna would be best placed to handle talks about a deal.
AP Photo

The closed nature of Iran’s nuclear program and the political upheaval there since the disputed June elections have made it difficult to interpret the nature of that silence, which could be a delaying device, a failure to achieve consensus with the government, or an attempt to win domestic political points by holding out on a deal until after the deadline had passed.

The U.S., for its part, has been working to balance a level of support for political dissidents in Iran with its negotiations with the government on its nuclear program.

Iranian news reports last week cited Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, saying Iran was offering the west a two-month period to consider its offer as a goodwill gesture.

“On the request of certain impartial countries who asked Iran not to enrich uranium for two months in order to give the West some time to respond, [Mehmanparasat] said, ‘To show our goodwill to the international community, we agreed with this request, and one month has passed since that time and one month is left,’” the Tehran Times reported last Monday. “’If the other side responds to Iran’s request in the remaining time, we will start the work. Otherwise, we will make the necessary decision.’”

Nonproliferation experts contacted Sunday said they were not aware of a halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment.

In its analysis of the latest International Atomic Energy Agency report, however, the nonproliferation group ISIS noted that Iran was holding its enrichment rate steady and was not using all of the centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. But it wasn’t clear if technical problems or a political decision or something else accounted for the unused centrifuges.

“There’s a lot more uncertainty now about whether the slow-down in the operation of centrifuges has its origins in technical difficulties, the change in leadership of the Iranian nuclear program, or an Iranian decision to deliberately slow the program down in order to give diplomatic solution a chance to work,” ISIS’s Jacqueline Shire told POLITICO Sunday.

The administration official did not say whether the U.S. had indications that Iran had halted or drastically slowed down its uranium enrichment.

The Iranian proposal to send the LEU to Turkey, a Muslim nation that’s been increasing its economic ties to Iran, could help set the stage for any agreement.

“I believe that Turkey can be an important player in trying to move Iran” away from what the U.S. and other nations suspect is a nuclear weapons program, President Obama said after meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House in December.

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this article cited The Tehran Times as reporting that the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman had seemed to indicate that Iran has stopped enriching uranium for two months as a good will gesture. That was incorrect. The spokesman was conveying Iran’s offer to give the west two months to consider Tehran’s counter-proposal before it did the enrichment itself.

Another non-issue trying to be hyped up by the out of power neocons. Iran has a right to process uranium under the NPT and they are doing so. Just like with Iraq you as asking them to prove a negative - something which is impossible. But then P5(really P3)+Germany is telling them to prove the negative (something which cannot be done) they need to ship out 1200 kg of uranium which is rightfully theirs- which is flat out tom foolery. All shipping out 1200kg of uranium means is that they shipped out 1200 kgs of uranium. If Iran is trying to build a bomb the fact that they shipped out 1200 kg of uranium doesn't prove they're not trying to build a bomb.

All that's going on here is the U.S. is once again trying to start S*** with another country. Real Conservatism at work (sarcasm)

You know,Apostle, when you started razzing me the other day, I thought you were an uneducated fool. Now, you have opened your mouth and removed all doubt.

Yes, Iran may have enough uranium to produce a nuclear bomb, but have you forgotten that they want to use any bomb they produce on Israel?? Are you not aware that North Korea agreed to stop producing weapons grade plutonium as long as they got aid from the countries they negotiated with only to announce the restarting of their uranium program as soon as Bush was out of office, as soon as they ran out of money given by these other countries?? Do you not realize what a dangerous situation this is? Or that Iran cannot be trusted and that they are probably enriching uranium in secret? OR that Iran is now looking to sue countries that invaded that country in WWII for damages as well as looking for compensation for WWI issues also??

You are, in my opinion, nothing but a bible thumper and my granddaughter probably knows more about the Bible than you do. She is 4 BTW.

So write back, call me an idiot, a teabagger, stupid, etc. At least I know the truth of Jesus Christ with a well-rounded education in the Old Testament as well. He knows who the false prophets are. I'm betting you are on that list.

You know,Apostle, when you started razzing me the other day, I thought you were an uneducated fool. Now, you have opened your mouth and removed all doubt.

Yes, Iran may have enough uranium to produce a nuclear bomb, but have you forgotten that they want to use any bomb they produce on Israel?? Are you not aware that North Korea agreed to stop producing weapons grade plutonium as long as they got aid from the countries they negotiated with only to announce the restarting of their uranium program as soon as Bush was out of office, as soon as they ran out of money given by these other countries?? Do you not realize what a dangerous situation this is? Or that Iran cannot be trusted and that they are probably enriching uranium in secret? OR that Iran is now looking to sue countries that invaded that country in WWII for damages as well as looking for compensation for WWI issues also??

You are, in my opinion, nothing but a bible thumper and my granddaughter probably knows more about the Bible than you do. She is 4 BTW.

So write back, call me an idiot, a teabagger, stupid, etc. At least I know the truth of Jesus Christ with a well-rounded education in the Old Testament as well. He knows who the false prophets are. I'm betting you are on that list.

A strong case can be made for imposing sanctions on Israel rather than Iran. Israel has hundreds of nuclear weapons, and its clandestine program has never been under UN oversight. Israel even jailed in solitary confinement Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu who blew the whistle on the covert nuclear weapons program.

It is Israel which threatens Iran, not vice versa. The Wall Street Journal (7/8/09) reported that "an Israeli submarine believed to be carrying nuclear-tipped missiles" had moved towards Iran. Whereas Iran has not invaded another country since the late 18th century and occupies no one, Israel invades and attacks at will and illegally occupies Palestine and parts of Syria and Lebanon. Iranian President Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University 9/24/07 and elsewhere on American TV stated that he did not seek the destruction of the Israeli people but only wished for a change in their leadership so as to end their illegal occupations. Ahmadinejad said he would agree to any peace with Israel endorsed by the Palestinian people. He also explained that he did not deny that the Nazi Holocaust happened, he only wanted more research into the details and stressed that the German atrocities against the Jews should not be used to try to excuse Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians.

Many groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and even Israeli veterans have reported that Israel committed war crimes during its Gaza massacre in January. More than 1400 Palestinians were killed including at least 900 civilians according to human rights groups. Three Israeli civilians were killed. (The Boston Globe 7/16/09)

A 9/15/09 report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict found Israel guilty of numerous war crimes against innocent civilians. Israelis used disproportionate force and deliberately attacked civilian targets, such as schools and hospitals, with heavy artillery and precision missiles from drones. They shot in cold blood civilians who were waving white flags and following Israeli instructions. They wantonly destroyed food, water, and sewerage facilities and rained down incendiary deadly white phosphorus on civilians. They shelled mosques during evening prayers and a UN relief compound which they knew was sheltering 700 civilians and which contained stored fuel.

Meanwhile, despite US objections, illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank keep expanding. The New York Times 9/14/09 reports that the Jewish settlers plunk down their settlements between Palestinian villagers and their farmlands. The Israelis then block their way so that the Palestinians can not get to their land at which time the settlers seize the Palestinian farmland claiming that it was "abandoned." Another favorite settler trick is setting fire to the Palestinian farms and orchards. It is not surprising that Israel's brutal occupations breeds the expected response from resistance groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Iran is not going to stop with their nuke weapon activity. They're just buying time. As far as Israel goes, they have every right to defend themselves. Iran wants to blow them up. That's a direct threat. I don't blame them. Ever since the UN gave them that area of land, they've been defending themselves and their right to be there. Palestine has fought with them for years and years, each taking turns occupying each others borderlands. The problem is Iran, not Isreal, not Palistine and if our government buys into this idea that Iran has suddenly "seen the light" they're dumber than I ever imagined.

Can I just point out that the usual suspects aren't commenting on this story. It seems that people use these forums not to debate issues, but for partisan bickering. I'm not saying that there aren't partisan insults thrown here and there in this thread, but it seems (quite clearly) that nuclear proliferation is not important to many of the people that frequent these forums. Rather odd, eh?

I think it was the Cairo speech ./sarcasm Just when the people in the street are about to overthrow the thugs , expect Obambi to reach in and save the mullahs or what ever they call their Ayatollahs . No respect intended . If you think I am going to worry about correct spelling for some monster that wants to cut you daughter's head off you are mistaken .

sorry, but its probably another bogus deal offer, as they've done in the past. They'll just back out again. Sorry, but the deadline(s) has(have) LONG past. It is time to take out their nuclear weapons plants once and for all.

sorry, but its probably another bogus deal offer, as they've done in the past. They'll just back out again. Sorry, but the deadline(s) has(have) LONG past. It is time to take out their nuclear weapons plants once and for all.